Campus Choir and Lee Singers to celebrate anniversaries with reunion performances
The Lee Singers preforming at a Frontline event.
Photo by John David Clark
This year marks Campus Choir’s 60th anniversary and Lee Singer’s 55th, and both choirs have reunions lined up to celebrate.
Campus Choir will feature current and past members in their reunion performance to celebrate the choir and its 60-year journey and growth. Plenty of choir alumni and all former directors of the choir will be present and honored at the event.
Both “American Idol” runner-up Clark Beckham and third-place contestant on “The Voice” Brooke Simpson are past members of Campus Choir and will be performing a duet with the group.
Director of Campus Choir Jimmy Phillips explained that these reunions are important for the advancement of the choir.
“The goal is to get as many of the former choir members together as possible,” Phillips said. “This is a long-standing choir. When you have something like that, you can’t ever let it go to moth balls. You have to constantly pour water on it, even if it’s the folks who aren’t in the choir anymore. You have to hang on to them. You have to do things to keep them attached and involved in the current ministry.”
The slightly younger ensemble, Lee Singers, holds similar plans for the weekend, beginning with a reception and reunion of past and present members. Sophomore Lee Singers member Luke Anderson explained that the reunion will serve as a reflection of the group’s growth and progression since its inception.
“We’ll all get together—past and present—and meet and talk about memories of the choir and the present state of the choir. We’ll probably sing a little bit as well,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be cool to see the multi-generational heritage of bringing 55 years of Lee Singers together to make music.”
Lee Singers is also partnering with Chorale for an event called Music Makers. The event will consist of performances from Lee Singers, Chorale, Lee faculty and alumni of each choir.
Lee choirs are also preparing for performances centered around the Centennial Celebration. Chapel on Thursday, Nov. 1, featured a mass choir of roughly 300 students from almost every ensemble on campus, along with the Symphonic Band. This group will perform again for alumni during the celebration over the weekend.
Senior and Director of Promotions for Lee Singers Libby Hennen explained that this patchwork choir will perform music that represents a century of Lee history.
“It’s basically pieces of music that mean a lot to Lee,” Hennen said. “Each piece is from a different era of Lee’s history, dating back to Lee’s origin. It’s a journey through Lee’s history through the avenue of music.”
Hennen also explained that the reunion performances serve to honor those who have participated in Lee’s choirs in the past.
“We want to show those who were at Lee in the past all that we’ve accomplished since they’ve left,” Hennen said. “There’s a lot of legacy in our choirs, so we know that people’s parents and grandparents are watching their kids on stage at the school they went to. We want to honor them with excellent work from the groups they worked to create and uphold.”
Campus Choir and Lee Singers will be celebrating their 60th and 55th anniversaries with the aforementioned reunion concerts. Campus Choir will be performing at Pangle Hall on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 4 p.m. and at Redemption to the Nations Church in Chattanooga on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Lee Singers will be performing at Pangle Hall on Friday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m.
For more information about Lee’s Centennial Celebration performances and events, visit the Lee Centennial website.
